Wienerschnitzel, the Irvine, Calif.-based hot dog concept owned by Galardi Group, Inc., has named Doug Koob its new chief development officer, the brand announced Wednesday.
In this new role, Koob will oversee sales and business development teams for both domestic and international growth, real estate, restaurant design, and construction.
“There are so many things that drew me toward Wienerschnitzel, but it was first and foremost the people behind the brand,” Koob said in a statement. “This is a concept that has 60 years of an incredible culture at its fingertips — it’s a family business that has transcended the QSR space and now lives as an iconic pillar of the hot-dog segment. I’m so thrilled to have the opportunity to take what I’ve learned over my career — from being a 16-year-old team member at McDonald’s to now — and truly usher in an era of widespread growth for a brand where the potential is sky-high. I can’t emphasize enough how fortunate I am to be joining this amazing group — which we are now dubbing the global development team — to grow this brand to its fullest extent.”
The 350-unit quick-service concept’s new CDO has over 40 years of restaurant leadership experience, most recently as the founder of Circle Alliances, a contracting and consulting company that has served brands like MOD Pizza, Chipotle, and Stumptown Coffee.
Prior to that, Koob spent over two decades with Starbucks leading business development teams in the U.S. and Europe, before moving on to serve as a VP of concept development for First Watch, and later the chief experience officer & VP of operations for Asian Box.
“I’ve had a narrow focus on finding the perfect fit for a CDO at Wienerschnitzel and after meeting with [Koob], it was extremely clear that he was meant to join our team,” J.R. Galardi, CEO of Galardi Group, said in a statement. “We’re at a pivotal time with the brand as we’re now poised to elevate our growth to the next level, both in key U.S. markets and internationally, and [Koob]’s team-first mindset is going to make that a reality. I look forward to watching him flourish as part of our Galardi family.”
Wienerschnitzel was founded by Galardi’s father John in 1961 as a single hot dog stand in Wilmington, Calif.